CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW.COM) – Clarksville residents who love chickens (and the delicious eggs they produce) can count themselves lucky.

Unlike many municipalities, Clarksville makes it easy to keep and raise chickens and even provides valuable assistance for residents that are setting up a backyard coop.

The red tape is minimal. There is a six hen limit in the city (no roosters), an application is required and there is a $50 fee.

Permits are issued by the Clarksville Department of Building and Codes and to make it even easier, and the man in charge of inspections is a big supporter of backyard chickens.

“It’s really an easy process. I spent all winter working on my chicken coop and we’re loving it,” said Senior Code Enforcement officer Chris Williams, who keep four hens in his backyard.

Williams invited ClarksvilleNow to his home to see his set up and to explain how simple the city’s hen application process is. “You have a one page application, we’ll walk you through the steps, make sure you qualify and meet zoning and lot size requirements,” he said.

The most technical aspects of the application, such as property boundaries and a site map, are really just common sense.

“We’re not going to ask for a survey, we’re going to ask you to stay 10 feet off your property lines to respect your neighbors, and that gives you enough room to put up a buffer around your chicken coop where everybody doesn’t have to look at your chicken coop if they don’t want to,” Williams said.

The packet provided by the city includes helpful tips from the UT Extension office on hen house requirements, disease prevention and other health/safety issues.

Once construction of the hen house is complete, you call Building and Codes and they send out an inspector.

The options for the actual coop depend on how exotic you want to get and whether you want to build your own or buy one off the shelf.

To purchase a coop you can go to most farm supply or home improvement stores. Prices start at around $200.

There are also many do-it-yourself kits available on the internet and many videos on YouTube that show the range of options.

Visit the Clarksville Flea Market this Saturday for a free instructional class hosted by Rob Selkow, ClarksvilleNow.com News Director and proud chicken owner. The class begins at 10 a.m.

Chicks are available to purchase on Craigslist under Farm & Garden and are also available at area farm supply stores.

Montgomery County Farmers Co-Op is an excellent resource for feed, bedding, chicken coops and fencing.